To charles cory



F. W. WOOD.

SIGNALING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 25' 1918.

1 ,3 l 2, 6G3, Patented Aug. 12, 1919,

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

5] nueM to z F HM as, as asmmw ran mod THE COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH 60., WASHING-TON. n. c.

F. W. WOOD. SIGNALING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 25. 1916.

Patented Aug. 12, 1919.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

" STATES n eerie.

FRANK W. WOOD, 0F MON'ICLAIR, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO CHARLES CORY & SON, INCL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

SIGNALING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 12, 11.919.

A iieanon filed November as, 1918. Serial No. 264,044.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK IV. 001), a citizen of the United States, residing at Montclair, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented new and useful Improvements in Signaling Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in signaling apparatus, pertaining more particularly to devices employed in transmitting signals from one point to another and recclving back a confirmation of the sig nalstructures exemplified by the constructions known generally as ships telegraphs.

Structures adapted for this use-generally to provide signal communication of orders for the operation of engines on shipboardhave been employed for many years, thoseemploying mechanical means of communication being limited generally to use under what are known as single or double screw conditions, the difference being in the use of one or two transmitters at the transmitting station. In the single form but one order is or need be given, but in the double or two-screw type concurrent orders of conflicting nature may be required, thus necessitating the use of independent transmitters capable of meeting these conditions. In practice, both types have been arranged as a general unitary structure to economize space, etc., it being possible to provide the individual operation of the double type through locating the transmitting devices at the two ends of the casing.

Under the later developments of shipbuilding, however, it has become a practice to employ a triple-screw arrangement, each screw having its individual power device requiring individual control and each obviously requiring its individual orders. This 1 necessitates the use of three independent transmitting and answering units to permit of the individuality of orders. Under prior practice, so far as I am aware, these changed conditions have generally been met by utilizing two of the prior structures, one being of the two-unit type, the other of the single unit type. This not only materially increases the cost of installation, but greatly increases the space required on board ship for the installation of the system as Well as increasing the difliculties of operation through the spread-out form of installation required.

The present invention is designed to meet these problems by mounting the three units in a single casing, thus decreasing the cost of manufacture and provide an economy in occupied space, as well as decreasing the operating difliculties by rendering the structure of a more compact form, and in addition by utilizing a two-part casing of substantially similar construction, capable of ready assembly, thereby tending to standardize the casing structures and decrease the cost of manufacture. An additional feature is that of arranging the internal elements of the instrumentalities of the several units in two structural formations or groups, these also being approximate duplicates, thus facilitating assembly and providing for compactness.

Other objects are to simplify the general arrangement and provide a general construction which is simple and eflicient in operation, durable in construction and which can be manufactured at a comparatively low cost.

To these and other ends, the nature of which will be readily understood as the invention is hereinafter disclosed, said invention consists in the improved construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter-fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and more particularly pointed out similar reference characters indicate similar parts in each of the vieWs,

Figure l is a face View of an apparatus designed to carry out the general principles of the invention, parts being broken away.

Fig. 2 is an end view of a portion of the structure of Fig. 1, parts being broken away to illustrate the interior.

Fig. 3 is alongitudinal section of the structure shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a strip which may be employed as a carrier of the direction indications.

The present type of instrumentality arrangement is along the lines of those in prior use, viz: each unit includes a pair of roing the carriers of each unit on their axes individually, and pointers connected to the carriers and movable relatively to an indicator card, one carrier being connected to the transmitting handle and pointer, the other to the answering pointer.

In the drawings, 10 indicates the transmitting carrier of each unit, shown in the form of a wheel, 11 the transmitting handle, 12 the transmitting pointer, 13 the answering carrier, also shown in the form of a wheel, and 14 the answering pointer. The connections with the units at the opposite station are shown in the form of ropes or cables 15, these extending over sheaves l6 and supported by the wheels. Obviously, the form of connection is more or less illustrative. I

For purposes of explanation, the reference characters of the transmitting and answering instrumentalities carry the exponents a, Z) and 0 for the respect1ve units.

The manner in which the several units are mounted to provide the compact arrangement will now be described:

17 indicates a supporting frame or pedestal of suitable design, this frame carrying the sheaves 16 and forming a conduit for the cables or ropes 15 in that part of their course above the deck on which the pedestal is' mounted. If desired, the pedestal may also carry the support for an illuminating means, indicated as a lamp 18.

Mounted on suitable seats at the top of the pedestal are two casing sections 19 and 19, these sections being substantial duplicates, so that a description of one will suflice.

20 indicates a shell more or less annular in form, said shell seating on the pedestal, preferably bolted thereto as in Fig. 2. For a portion of its width the bottom of the shell is open or cut-away to provide open communication with the interior of the pedestal, the upper portion of the shell hav ng an inwardly-extending flange 20 extending beyond the axis of the section, sa d flange carrying a bearing 20 on such axis, a portion of the flange having a raw edge formation which coacts with the similar formation of the complelnental section to provide the mating portions of the two sections in producing the complete casing, the sections being connected together along this mating line. As will be seen from Fig. 3, the major portion of flange 20 does not extend to the mating or joining l1ne of the sections, the result being that while the joinder of the two sections provides a substantially closed casing, the relative positions of the flanges 20 causes the formation of a cavity 21 between the two sections, this cavity extending beyond the xis of the casing and be ing open externally. The outer ends of the casing are closed byface'plate's 22 of'suitable form.

Shell 20 is also provided with a plurality of openings 20 spaced-apart on the shell periphery and forming sight opemngs to expose the series of indications carried by a suitable card or member 23 positioned within the shell.

The manner in which the various operating structures are mounted relatively to the casing will now be described:

Mounted within each casing section is a spider-like element 24, said elements forming bearings for sleeves 25 and 25, Sleeve 25 is integrally connected with or rigidly secured to wheel 13*, while sleeve 25 has a similar relation to wheel 13, the outer ends of these sleeves extending through plates 22 and receiving the hubs of pointers 14 and 14 respectively, the hubs being keyed or otherwise secured to the sleeves.

Mounted within the sleeves are shafts 26 and 26 each shaft having a reduced portion 26 and a further reduced portion or spindle 26. As seen in Fig. shaft 26 carries wheel 10 keyed or otherwise secured to its reduced portion 26 shaft 26 having a similar connection with wheel 10, the outer ends of these shafts extending beyond those of the sleeves and carrying the hubs of handles 11 and 11 respectively.

The arrangement just described completes the formation of the transmitting and answering instrumentalities of the two outer units of the apparatus, it being readily understood that movement of handle 11 or 11 causes corresponding movement of wheels 1O or 10, and movement of pointers 12 or 12 relative to the sight openings 20, thus moving the cable or rope arried by wheel 10 or 10 as the case may be, operating the mechanism at the station where the signal is to be observed. hen the answer is transmitted from the latter station, the movement of the cable or rope carried by wheel 13 01'13 causes movement of sleeve 25 or 25 and a. corresponding movement of pointer 14c or l t, the correct completion of the operation providing substantial alinement of pointers 12 and 1& or 12 and 14.

The third or center unit mounting is pro vided by separating the wheels 10 and 13 and locating one in each casing section. The hub of these wheels is provided with a stubshaft which may be integral with or rigidly secured to the wheel hub, shaft 27 being connected to wheel 13 and shaft 2" to wheel 10. Shafts 27 and 27 are supported on the reduced portion or spindle 26 and in bearings 20, and extend through the flanges into the cavity. The location of spindles 26 in these stub shafts thus completes two structural formations internal of the casing,

these formations each including the two wheels ofione umt'and oneof the wheels of s a different unit, these wheels being 'ax1ally alined and supported firmly in such manner as to permit lndividual movement of 27 are formed to receive the hubs of the indicating structures of the third unit, shaft 27 bein shown as carrying pointer A while shaft 2 a is shown as carrying handle 11.

While pointers 12 and 1% are operatively connected to structures within different casing sections, the pointers themselves are positioned to operate in connection with the same series of sight openings or indicationfor1nationsFig. 3 illustrating the use of the sight openings of section 19, pointer 12 being shown as extending toward section 19 although the shaft to which its handle is secured is located in section 19 If therefore, the signal is to be transmitted by operating handle 11 the angular movement of the handle will cause pointer 12* to be positioned relative to the sight openings of section 19 and at the same time move wheel 10 in section 19. is made, Wheel 13 in section 19 will be oper ated and shift pointer 149 into alinement with pointer 12. This ability to'place pointers 12 and 14t in positions relative to each other and a single sight opening is made possible by the substantial duplication in structure of the two structure formations, so that the angular movement of the pointer supports are necessarily similar, rendering it more or less immaterial as to which set of indications is employed to guide the pointer movements. Obviously, the position of the pointers of the third unit may be made operative with the indications of section 19 by reversing the locations of wheels 10 and 13, where, as shown in the drawings, the projecting portions of shafts 27 and 27? are of different diameters; if of the same diameter, change in location of the pointer supports only is necessary.

As will be understood the general arrangement described provides for simplicity and greatly reduced cost of manufacture, as a well as producing a compact arrangement of simple character. The casing sections are substantial duplicates, and the two structure formations internal of the casing are also substantial duplicates, sothat while the general apparatus is of the three-unit type, with each unit and its instrumentalities individually operative, the structure is practically of WVhen the answer desirable or necessary in so far as the same may fall within the spirit and scope or the invention as expressed in the accompanying claims, when broadly construed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is:

1. Means for mounting the units of a three-unit telegraph system, wherein each unit includes transmitting and answering in-. strumentalities and their indicating ele ments, said means comprising a casing for housing instrumentality elements, said casing having alined bearings to locate the latter elements in axial alinement with transmitting elements of two different units positioned externally at opposite ends of the casing, said casing having a cavity open externally intermediate the casing ends and separated from the housed elements, said cavity receiving the external elements of the transmitting and answering instrumentalities of the third unit.

2. Means for mounting the units of a three-unit telegraph system, wherein each unit includes transmitting and answering instrumentalities, said means comprising a two-section casing having its sections axially alined and each having a pair of alined bearings to receive housed elements of the several instrumentalities, said sections each having a configuration to permit uniting into a complete and substantially-closed casing with the interiors of both sections in open communication and with a bearing of each section leading to an intermediate cavity open externally and separated from the housed elements, the external elements of two of saidunits being positioned at the respective ends of the casing, said cavity receiving the similar elements of the third unit, whereby each unit is free to receive its angular movements with the unit movements on substantially coincident axes and with the signal indications exhibited externally.

3. Means for mounting the units of a three-imit telegraph system, wherein each unit includes transmitting and answering instrumentalities, said means comprising a two-section casing with the sections of substantially similar configuration, each section carrying an inwardly-extending flange portion carrying a bearing and a raw edge configuration extending outwardly relatively to such flange to permit section assembly, such assembly providing a cavity open externally between opposing flanges with said bearings leading to the cavity, said raw edge (30:1- figuration providing a mating line to complete a substantially-closed interior of the complete casing and forming a housing for the internal instrumentality elements of the several units.

4- In telegraph systems of the three-unit type, and wherein each unit includes transmitting and answering instrumentalities with a cable-supporting rotatable element active in each instrun'ientality, a casing having a configuration to provide a cavity intermediate the casing ends and open externally with the axis of rotation of said rotatable elements extending through the cavity, the walls of said cavity partially dividing the interior of the casing, one of the units-having the internal elements of its instrumentalities separated from and housed on different sides of the cavity, the external elements of such instrumentalities extending within the cavity.

5. In telegraph systems of the three-unit type, and wherein each unit includes transmitting and answering instrumentalities individually operative, a casing having a cavity externally open intermediate the casing ends and adapted to receive the external elements of the instrumentalities of one of said units, the external elements of the instrumentalities of the remaining units being lo cated at the external ends of the casing, a signal-indication formation carried by the casing on each side of and spaced from such cavity, said formations being substantial duplicates, and indicating elements carried by each unit and forming parts of the several unit instrumentalities, the indicating elements of each unit being operative relative to the same indication-formation, one of said formations providing the indication index for the indicating elements of-two of said units.

6. In telegraph systems of the three-unit type, and wherein each unit includes transmitting and answering instrumentalities individually operative, a casing having a cavity externally open intermediate the casing ends and separated from the casing interior, and instrumentality elements housed within the casing interior, said elements being combined to form two structural formations dividually operative and with each instrumentality including a rotatable cable-supporting element, a casing for housing the internal elements of the respective instrumentalities of the three units, said casing having a configuration to provide an externallyopen cavity intermediate the casing ends and to support said internal elements in two structural formations, each formation including the internal instrumentality elements of one unit and the similar elements of an instrumentality of another unit, said formations being approximately similar and each comprising a sleeve, a shaft extending axially of said sleeve and carrying a spindle, and a stub-shaft mounted on said spindle and extending into said cavity, said sleeve, shaft and stub-shaft each carrying a cablesupporting element, and each having an end externally exposed relatively to the casing to form a support for the attachment of an in dicator supporting member, whereby said elements Will be supported in axial alinement and each indicator supporting member is angularly movable individually.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

FRANK W. WOOD.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. G. 

